Higurashi: Hetalia Style!
by Tobi- That's What They Call Me
Summary: A Hetalia story with a Higurashi plot! Demon Awakening- Arthur just moved into this small town and he feels like his new friends are keeping secrets about the town's past! Maybe he wll find the answers at tomorrow's Cotton Drifting Festival!
1. Demon Awakening Chapter 1

**This was originally a request on the Hetalia Kink Meme! Please enjoy~**

--

_He was running. He didn't know where, but he knew he had to continue running away. He couldn't see. It was too dark. Suddenly he tripped, breaking his ankle with a loud crack, falling to the ground. He quickly turned himself over, looking up to meet the cat-like eyes of the demon chasing him. It laughed a cold metallic laugh as it raised its weapon above its head. It was a hockey stick stained with the blood of its previous victims. He tried to crawl away, but his ankle hurt too much. He tried screaming for help, but this made the demon laugh even more. No one was coming. He was going to die. He closed his eyes as the hockey stick came down._

_--_

"Alfred! You git, wake up! Class already ended and I will not be late for the club meeting!"

Alfred slowly opened his eyes to find and very angry Brit glaring down at him in front of his desk. He slowly sat up and yawned, "What, Iggy? Is class over already?"

One of the Britain's thick eyebrow's twitched angrily. "I told you to stop calling me that!" he snapped, "My name is Arthur and class ended ten minutes ago! You should be grateful that I waited for you instead of heading straight for the meeting as soon as class ended. Thanks to you we're both going to be late for club now! I wouldn't be surprised if they already started without us!"

Alfred zoned out as Arthur continued ranting on about tardiness and sleeping through class. Alfred had been having some weird dreams lately. They've have recently started getting very creepy, worrying him a bit. _Maybe I should stop watching horror flicks before going to bed,_ he pondered.

"ALFRED ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME!?" Arthur shouted, breaking Alfred's train of thought.

"Maybe if your rants weren't so boring I would!" Alfred smirked.

"Perhaps if you wouldn't fall asleep so much in class, we would be on time for a club meeting and I wouldn't have to yell at you!"

"Whatever! Let's get to the meeting!" Alfred said, standing up and heading towards the door with grumbling Arthur following behind.

--

Alfred and Arthur's town is very small. Every student was combined into one classroom no matter what grade they were in. Because the town is so small the people who live here are very close to each other. Arthur learned this soon after moving here three months ago. He quickly made many friends and was invited more like forced to join a club.

The club Arthur and Alfred were apart of was created to help teach students about world affairs, but no one really learned anything. All the members did was play games and talk about club plans for the weekend, which usually included playing more games at a member's house.

--

After walking in silence for awhile, Arthur asked Alfred, "Seriously, what do you do at home that you have to sleep in class so much?"

"Well I haven't been sleeping that great at home for the past couple of nights," Alfred said nonchalantly. Arthur raised an eye brow meaning that he wanted a better explanation. Alfred sighed, "I've been having these weird nightmares lately."

"What are they about?" Arthur questioned, Alfred knew how fascinated Arthur was when it came to the paranormal, but that stuff wasn't real. Right?

Alfred chuckled, "It's not too interesting. I can never remember the dreams. I just know that they're nightmares. Matthew has said that I've been screaming a lot in my sleep lately."

"Who?"

"Oh! Matthew? He's my twin brother! He looks exactly like me, but we have completely different personalities. I'll have to introduce you two sometime!" Alfred rambled on. Arthur was sure Alfred was trying to trick him into thinking that he had a twin brother. This was possibly another prank on the new kid? How gullible did he think Arthur was? Well, he was definably not going to fall for it!

"Hurray! We're here!" Alfred suddenly exclaimed, bursting open a nearby door, surprising everyone who was already in the room. Arthur followed Alfred into the room in a much calmer fashion, trying to ignore his idiotic friend's entrance. Just as Arthur predicted, the other ten members of the club had pushed their desks into a circle and looked as if they had already started. He quickly took a seat next to Kiku, one of his first friends he made when he moved to town.

"Alright let's get this meeting started!" Alfred shouted jumping to the front of the room.

"Like, we would if you were ever here on time!" snubbed Feliks, who was fixing his skirt, while leaning a desk. Toris, who was sitting on the desk next to him, placed a hand on Feliks' arm, trying to shush his friend before a fight started.

"Yes Alfred, if you are going to be the leader of the club you should get here on time!" Ludwig bellowed. Arthur knew he would have stood up a slammed his hands on the desk if it wasn't for Feliciano sitting in his lap, much to Ludwig's obvious discomfort and his brother Lovino's annoyance.

"Never mind that! The important thing is that I'm here now!" Alfred laughed, making a heroic pose with his fist in the air. "First things first, Kiku, what do we have planned for this weekend?"

"Well Alfred-san, there's the Cotton Drifting Festival we have been planning on going too for months." He said. The way Kiku had spoken was so polite that Arthur wasn't sure if he was trying to insult Alfred for forgetting the Festival. Arthur still didn't know what was so important about it.

"Oh right! So it's official, we will all meet at the festival and have fun! Great no objections! Now let's play a game!" Alfred shouted, not really giving anyone time to object.

"Ve~ What game are we playing today?" Feliciano asked, nuzzling his head into Ludwig's neck. Lovino looked like he was going to attack Ludwig, but Antonio quickly calmed him down.

"It should be really fun! Today we're playing Clue!"

--

The meeting soon ended when Alfred remembered that he had to go to work, leaving the game with no winner. Arthur was loosing anyway, so he didn't really care.

"Bugger," he muttered, walking home alone. He could never figure out why he couldn't succeed at winning any of the games they played.

"Arthur-san?" questioned a soft voice behind him, causing Arthur to jump.

"Ah! Kiku! I didn't know you were behind me." Arthur said, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"I 'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Did you have fun at today's meeting?" Japan asked, now walking alongside Arthur.

"I guess did… It would have been better if I could win a game for once…" he trailed off. "Sometimes it feels like everyone's out to get me…"

There was a moment of silence. Arthur wondered if he had said the wrong thing. He was about to apologize, but Kiku suddenly spoke, "It's because you're new and a nice person..."

"What?" Arthur questioned quietly, scrunching his eyebrows together. Kiku could easily see that Arthur was a little confused.

"This town is very old and has a lot of traditions," He continued, "We like to tease you because you're still figuring out how everything works around here. You're also a good person and… let's just say that everyone here has a few skeletons in their closets." He looked down, so he could not meet Arthur's eyes. He was afraid of what would happen if he did.

"Everyone does," Arthur assured him, reaching out for Kiku's hand, "Including me. I'm not as innocent as everyone thinks I am!" Arthur laughed. Kiku slowly lifted his head and smiled.

They continued walking in silence, holding each others hands. The sky had now turned a lovely orange color as the sun went down and the air was full of the sounds of the cicadas chirping in nearby trees. Finally they stopped at the intersection that divided their path into two separate directions.

"Do you know what the Festival is about tomorrow?" Kiku asked, looking up towards the sky.

"Umm… No… I don't think anyone's told me about it yet." Arthur chuckled, lifting his free hand behind his head.

"Well first of all, everyone in town attends the Festival. Anyone who misses it is cursed," Arthur gulped at the serious tone of Kiku's voice. He knew that the whole town had been preparing for this for days, but didn't realize how serious it was to the townspeople. "During the Festival, special cotton is harvested and cut up. Then everyone takes a piece and places it into the river to watch it float away."

"Why do they do that?" Arthur asked, sheepishly.

Kiku paused for a brief second, "No one really knows… Some people say we do it to symbolize lost souls… or we do it is a memorial to all the people who've disappeared."

"That's depressing…" Arthur mumbled to himself. Kiku gently let go of his hand and turn away from him, still looking at the sky.

"I wonder who will disappear this year…"

Time froze for a second. Before Arthur could ask Kiku what he was talking about an arm wrapped around his neck causing him to stumble further away from Kiku. "Hey Arthur! What are you and Kiku talking about?" yelled Alfred, still holding Arthur in a tight headlock. He was surprised by how strong Alfred was as he struggled to be released.

"Nothing…" Kiku said, calmly. Arthur could have sworn he heard Alfred whisper "That's good." under his breath.

"I'm sorry, but I must be going now." Kiku quickly started walking in the opposite direction of Alfred and Arthur. Arthur tried to yell at him to wait, but he was too busy trying to get out of Alfred's headlock.

As soon as Kiku was far enough away, Alfred released his headlock on Arthur. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" Arthur immediately screamed.

"Oh nothing…" Alfred smiled, walking away from Arthur.

"Wait! What was Kiku talking about before!?" Arthur yelled running after Alfred.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He answered, chuckling at Arthur.

"It was about the Festival tomorrow!" Arthur continued yelling, he knew Alfred was hiding something and he did not like to be left out. "He said something about people disappear-"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Alfred interrupted. His tone was cold and harsh, something Arthur had never heard of coming from him before. He froze, watching Alfred continue to walk away, as the cicadas cried louder.

"See you at the Festival tomorrow Arthur!"

--

**Doo doo doo doo~~~ Lot's of foreshaddowing~~~ be afraid~~~**

**I'm sorry if I fail!**

**-this has been a tobi production-**


	2. Demon Awakening Chapter 2

**Author has no excuse for this being so late… sorry…**

**Thank you everyone who reviewed!**

--

By the time Arthur had arrived at the festival the sky had already turned a dark blue color and the festival had already begun. In the middle of the woods on the riverbank, the Cotton Drifting Festival was held in front of a giant shrine to the god of some forgotten religion. In front of the shrine were many stands selling food, drinks, and allowing games with ridiculous prizes to people who were willing to play. The Festival's lanterns were all lit making the festival glow a beautiful orange color in the night sky. By the large size of the crowd, it looked like every person in town had shown up like Kiku had said.

Arthur quickly dove into the massive crowd, trying his best to blend in. Today Arthur was determined to find out what Kiku was talking about yesterday. Whatever it was, Alfred did not want Arthur to know about it. Earlier that day, Arthur had tried to find information about people disappearing in his town, but everything was guarded off. Websites were blocked. Books had pages missing from them. People disappearing seemed like a very important thing to know about. It was very suspicious to him. Why would such important information be missing or hidden form the public? Why would Alfred want to keep something like this from him? To protect him maybe? No, Arthur couldn't stay in the dark about the town's past any longer. He had to know!

Arthur decided that it was best to try and stay hidden from his club until he got to talk to Kiku alone. By the size of the crowd, Arthur figured it would be easy to stay hidden. Suddenly, he heard a person behind him shout, "Hey Arthur! Iggy! Where have ya' been? We've been waitin' for ya' for hours!"

"Shit!" Arthur cursed under his breath. There goes his plan to stay hidden... He turned around to be greeted by Alfred, waving to him from across the crowd. With his mission blown, Arthur pushed his way out of the crowd to where his club was resting. Everyone was sitting around a small campfire laughing, eating, and having a good time. Feliciano once again was sitting on Ludwig's lap, as they were both listened to a story being told by Toris and Feliks, who were sitting on the opposite side of the fire.

After noticing that a few people were missing from their group, Arthur asked Alfred, "Hey! Where is everyone else?"

"Oh, Lovino and Antonio went to get drinks… They should be back soon!" Alfred answered with his trademark smile and thumbs up.

"Where's Kiku?" Arthur asked, showing no amusement.

Alfred paused for a moment. The others around the campfire continued chatting, oblivious to the intensity of the moment. "He's not coming…" Alfred spoke using a monotone voice, similar to the one he used yesterday.

"Well where the bloody hell is he?" Arthur demanded. _Fuck, my plan's ruined now!_ He cursed inwardly. Then a thought creeped into Arthur's mind. Out of everyone in their club, Kiku was looking forward to the festival the most… and the day before he had said:

"… _Everyone in town attends the Festival. Anyone who misses it is cursed…"_

Alfred turned around to face Arthur. "Geez Iggy! Calm down! You don't need to freak out just 'cause he's not here..." Arthur glared at Alfred. He was starting to get really frustrated. He didn't want jokes, he wanted answers. "He called before you got here. He said that he wasn't feeling well, so he wasn't coming." Alfred finished with a small smile on his face.

Arthur took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Although he hated to admit it (No! He would never admit it!), Alfred was right. He couldn't get upset or panic just because Kiku wasn't there. It was possible that he_ did_ get sick. He could always ask Kiku about it tomorrow.

"We're back, _mis amigos_! And we brought drinks!" Antonio beamed as Lovino started tossing people their drinks (chucking Ludwig's at his head). Alfred laughed, sitting down and opening his Coke.

"Oh, _lo siento,_ Arthur, we didn't get you anything. You can have mine, if you want?" Antonio apologized after noticing Arthur.

"That's all right!" Arthur chuckled, taking the bottled water from Antonio's hand. He couldn't let what happened yesterday distract him from having fun with his friends now. He sat down next to Alfred, joining everyone at the campfire. "So, what have you guys done without me?" Arthur asked.

"Nothing yet!" Alfred answered for everyone else, "We ate. That's it! We've been waiting for you to get here before we started playing any games."

"Like, oh my gawd! I almost forgot! Isn't this like Arthur's first time here?" Feliks exclaimed after throwing some pink candy into his mouth.

"Oh! That's right! Everyone!" Alfred shouted, jumping up, so he could get their club's complete attention. "Because this is Arthur's first time here, we have to make it his most memorable!" Everyone cheered in agreement. Arthur flushed and smiled from getting so much attention. "So we have no time to spare let's go!" Alfred grabbed Arthur's arm, pulling him up and dragging him as Alfred ran toward the nearest game stall.

"Hey, Bastard! Don't forget us!" Lovino screamed as he and the other members followed behind.

--

That night Arthur played (and lost) every game at the Festival, Alfred attempted to eat the food at every the stall, Feliciano convinced Ludwig to win him a stuffed toy, Antonio danced and scolded Lovino when he caught him pick-pocketing after the group spent all their money, and last, Feliks got into a slap fight with some girl.

"Bitch! You don't know me!" Feliks screamed as Toris held him back.

"Calm down! You won! You won!" Toris repeated.

"Damn right I did!"

Arthur laughed. Tonight had turned out great. He had forgotten about Kiku not being there or the people disappearing. He started to feel like nothing could ruin his night.

Then he felt someone tap his shoulder. "Arthur, I almost forgot to introduce you to my brother!" Alfred smiled. How daft did he think Arthur was? He was seriously going to try this joke on him now! _Oh well… _Arthur sighed, _Might as well play along!_

Alfred firmly grabbed onto Arthur's arm, leading him through the crowd. They stopped at a similar campsite. Once there Alfred tackled boy holding a polar bear toy. "Hey Bro~ Sorry I forgot about you! You weren't waiting too long were you?"

"Only two hours…" Arthur hardly heard the boy mumble. Alfred quickly stood up picking the boy up with him.

"Arthur this is my brother, Matthew!" Alfred introduced, wrapping an arm around his brother's shoulder and smiling. Arthur was shocked! _So Alfred wasn't lying…_The boy looked exactly like Alfred. They had the same face, same blond hair, and they both wore glasses. The only way to tell them apart was the fact that they were wearing different outfits and that the one was holding a polar bear.

"Hello Arthur. I've heard a lot about you." Matthew's voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, very different compared to Alfred's. Matthew held out one hand to Arthur, still holding his polar bear in the other. Arthur slowly shook it. He was tired of being wrong today…

"Nice to meet you Matthew! That's a cute polar bear you have." Arthur said, trying to be polite.

"Thank you! His name is Kumajirou. He's very well trained."

"WHAT !? IT'S REAL!" Arthur's exclamation was drowned out by the sound of fireworks going off. The lanterns went out. Immediately the crowd was silent and everyone started walking towards the front of the shrine.

"Hurray! The Cotton Drifting ritual is staring! Come on let's go get good seats for the others!" Alfred whispered, cutting through the crowd. Arthur moved to follow him, but was stopped by Matthew, who had grabbed his arm and started dragging Arthur the opposite way. Matthew was very strong, but not as strong as Alfred. Arthur probably could of broken out of his grip, but for some reason he didn't feel like doing that…

"Where are we going?" Arthur asked, once they were out of the crowd. Matthew hushed him, saying that it was a surprise. A sense of panic overtook him. "Isn't it bad if we miss the festival?"

"Oh please Arthur! No one believes in that curse eh!" Matthew continued leading Arthur out of the Festival grounds and into the woods. "There's a secret place I want to show you." He said; his voice still quiet.

They stopped in a small clearing in the middle of the forest. The cicadas could clearing be heard singing their night songs. Arthur liked the cicadas. He probably wouldn't have minded staying in this clearing with Matthew, but it was so dark Arthur could barely see anything around them. After his eyes adjusted to the darkness he could make out the form of an old building, covered in vines and moss, towards the edge of the clearing.

"Why did you bring me here?" Arthur asked Matthew. He was very confused.

"I wanted to talk to you some more. Out here no one can hear us. We're all alone." Matthew smiled, blushing a little. Matthew placed Kumajirou on the ground and pointed towards the old building, "This was an old shrine. Many ceremonies were held here years ago until they built the new one near the river."

"What kind of ceremonies?" Something inside of Arthur was telling him not to ask, but he couldn't help it, the words almost flew out of his mouth like he was in a daze. He couldn't help, but feel that something strange was going on. He didn't know whether to be scared or not…

"Cannibalistic…" Matthew said it as if there was nothing wrong with that statement. "The people who lived here long ago were cannibals. Every year they would sacrifice two people to the shrine god. They would torture and eat the one and the other… well no one really knows what would happen to the second person. It was as if they would just _disappear_…" It almost sounded like Matthew had hissed the last word, but that couldn't be right! Arthur must have been hearing things.

"Arthur! Do you want to sit down? You don't look so well…" Arthur nodded. He suddenly felt very dizzy. Matthew placed both his hands on Arthur's shoulders and led him toward a fallen tree trunk. They both sat down in front of it and leaned against it.

"It must have been something I ate." Arthur mumbled, even though he didn't remember eating anything…

"Arthur, do you have any questions that aren't being answered?" Matthew asked; tone still quiet, but more serious then before. Arthur had to close his eyes. His dizziness had gotten so bad that it felt like the world was spinning.

"Yesterday Kiku said something about people disappearing. What did he mean?" Arthur wasn't thinking. It hurt too much to think. Although his question was finally being answered, he was afraid of what the reply might be.

"No one's told you?" Arthur shook his head "no" to answer. He couldn't speak; his dizziness had gotten so bad. "Well listen closely because I'm only saying this once." Arthur's dizziness lightened up a bit, making it easier for him to focus. "Every year on the day of this Festival, one person is murdered and another goes missing."

"Just like the ceremony!" Arthur interrupted. Suddenly his nausea got worse again. He bent over, covering his mouth.

"Yes… that's what makes it so suspicious…" Matthew said, stroking Arthur's back, trying to comfort him.

"Uh… Why couldn't I find information about this earlier?" Arthur asked, ignoring his new headache and worsened nausea. Certainly, something like this, that happened every year, wouldn't be kept hidden. Arthur tucked his knees in, resting his forehead on them.

"The townspeople don't like to hear about it. It brings back bad memories. That's why so many books are censored." That didn't make much sense to Arthur, but he didn't care. His head hurt so much, he felt like he could pass out any minute now.

"Hey what are you guys doing out here?" A voice shouted from the other side of the clearing. Arthur didn't look up to see who it was.

"Alfred, Arthur's sick! Can you help me carry him home?" Arthur felt someone else touch his back.

"Iggy? Iggy! Don't go to sleep all right?" Arthur wasn't sure if he could. His head hurt, his stomach felt like it was doing flips. He couldn't talk or move without feeling like he was going to throw up. Sleep felt like a good choice.

"Alfred we have to take him home!" Matthew whimpered. Arthur felt himself being lifted up. He wrapped his arms around Alfred's neck, trying to balance himself. Alfred and Matthew were talking, but Arthur couldn't focus on what they were talking about. He slowly felt himself slip away. Many thoughts ran through his head before he did.

"… _Everyone in town attends the Festival. Anyone who misses it is cursed…"_

"… _One person is murdered and another goes missing…"_

"_I wonder who will disappear this year…"_

"I wonder who will…" Arthur whispered, before falling asleep in Alfred's arms to the sound of the cicadas singing a distant and forgotten lullaby to him.

--

**Doo~ Doo~ Doo~ Doo~**

**Did everyone like that chapter? Your reviews really help me know! So review... now...**

**I hope I kept everyone in character...**

**-this has been a tobi production-**


	3. Demon Awakening Chapter 3

**Ok so....**

**I finished writting this chpter a few days ago, but I couldn't post it until today for some reason....**

**Thanks everyone who reviewed! Enjoy!**

--

Arthur woke up to the feeling of something heavy crawling onto his chest. He jumped, quickly sit up and open his eyes, knocking whatever was crawling onto him into his lap. Once his sight came into focus, he realized that it was only Kumajiro that had invaded his space. The bear gave Arthur an adorably confused look, as if asking him _'Why did you do that?'_

"Sorry… You startled me…" Arthur mumbled to the bear, petting its soft head. The bear purred happily, excepting Arthur's apology. Arthur looked around the room only to realize that he was not in his bedroom. This room had hockey posters all over the walls, clean white carpet, and the bed sheets had little blue beavers on them. This was certainly **not** Arthur's room….

"Kumajiro? Oh! You shouldn't be in here…" A voice whispered from outside the slightly opened door.

"You can come in." Arthur offered. Hoping the person behind the door could help him remember what happened last night.

"Oh! Good morning Iggy! I didn't know you were up." The door burst opened to reveal that the voice was Alfred. "How did you sleep last night?"

Arthur didn't know how to answer the question… He didn't remember ever going to bed. "Uh… Good, I suppose..." He said.

Alfred hopped onto the bed next to Arthur, causing Kumajiro to fly off onto the floor. The poor bear stood up on all fours and glared at Alfred before padding out of the room. After a small pause, Arthur asked, "Alfred, What happened last night?"

"You got sick last night after the festival. I tried carrying you to your house, but the door was locked and Matthew said that I shouldn't break the door down 'cause that would be rude or something… so we ended up bringing you back to our house!" He explained, swinging his legs back and forth over the side of the bed.

Arthur face palmed. Now he remembered what happened; he was talking to Matthew and missed the festival. No problem, he assumed, his brothers may be pissed off at him for not coming home, but at least he didn't have to worry about being cursed for missing the festival. Matthew did say that was only a myth.

Alfred reached up a hand, touching Arthur's forehead and breaking him from his thoughts. "Are you feeling better?" Alfred said, tilting his head to the side, concerned look on his face. Arthur blushed at the contact. Alfred was a very caring person (even if he was an idiot).

"Yes! It was probably a 24-hour bug. No need to worry so much!" Arthur said, pushing Alfred's hand away and smiling slightly.

"You should eat something! Come on! Mattie's making breakfast." Alfred grabbed Arthur's hand and pulled him out of the bed, hastily dragging Arthur down the stairs and throughout his house.

--

In the kitchen, the sweet smell of pancake batter and maple syrup filled the air. Matthew was flipping the last few pancakes onto a plate and Kumajiro was at his feet, eating the ones he dropped.

"Morning, Mat! Look whose up!" Alfred greeted, dragging Arthur towards the kitchen table, which was already decorated with plates and silverware. Alfred swiftly sat down and, without delay, started serving himself pancakes.

Ignoring a small 'who' from Kumajiro, Matthew turned his head towards them and said, "Oh! Good morning Arthur! Are you feeling better? You can go ahead and eat if you'd like... I'll join you guys in a sec."

"Yes, I'm feeling much better! Thank you." Even though Alfred didn't mind not having any manners, Arthur wanted to make sure that Matthew knew he was a proper gentleman, since they didn't really get to know each other that well last night. Arthur took an empty seat next to Alfred and started serving himself some pancakes.

The pancakes were delicious. Arthur wanted to say that they might have been the best he ever tasted, but that could of insulted his own cooking. Maybe, he could improve his cooking, if he stole _borrowed_ some of Matthew's recipe. He had to ask, "Matthew what did you put in these pancakes?"

There was a pause. Alfred looked at Matthew and Matthew gave a timid glance towards Alfred before saying, "Oh the secret is human flesh!"

--

Perhaps it was what he and Mathew talked about at the festival last night that had made Arthur so tense?

Or maybe it was the aftermath of Arthur's 24 hour virus?

Anyway, Arthur shouldn't of taken a bite of pancake before Matthew answered… because he jumped… and started choking…

Chaos erupted….

--

Arthur grabbed his throat and started making gagging noises, trying to signal Matthew and Alfred of his problem. Alfred, instead of keeping calm and performing the Heimlich Maneuver like a normal person, panicked and smacked Arthur on the back as hard as he could. Although this did stop Arthur from choking, the strength of Alfred's hit caused Arthur to face plant into his remaining pancakes.

"Ha! I saved your life! You're welcome!" Alfred announced heroically as he continued to eat his pancakes. Arthur slowly sat up, ignoring the bits of pancake stuck to his face. He was about to yell and insult Alfred, when suddenly Matthew stood up.

"I'M SORRY!" He yelled before running out of the room, followed by Kumajiro.

"Oh great Arthur! You made Mattie cry!" Alfred shouted, standing up. Arthur was completely dumbfounded

"W-What!? I didn't do anything!" He retorted. He felt his face turn red with anger.

"Whatever! Go in the kitchen and clean yourself up. You have pancake stuck to your massive eyebrows." Alfred quickly ran in the direction Matthew ran off to before Arthur could retaliate. Grumbling to himself, Arthur stomped into the kitchen. He took a towel from the sink and started wiping off the sticky maple syrup from his face. He slowly gazed up to what he thought was a window above the kitchen sink, but to his surprise, turned out to be a mirror.

"How strange…" Arthur wondered, placing his hand onto the mirror. He noticed that he had maple syrup stuck to his hair and eyebrows (like Alfred had said) and that his clothes from yesterday were covered dirt and grass stains..

"I need to take a shower…" He mumbled to himself. As he removed his hand from the mirror, it moved. To Arthur's discovery, the mirror wasn't attached to the wall. Curious, Arthur tried as quietly and carefully as he could to move the mirror to see what it was hiding. He was shocked to find that the mirror was covering a window. _Why would anyone place a mirror over a window?_ He asked himself. The view from the window was gorgeous. You could see a beautiful field with a little stone pathway that led into the forest, surrounding the area. _Why would Alfred want to cover this up?_

Suddenly a hand reached out, pushing the mirror back in its place. "Iggy! What are you doing?"

"GAH! Alfred you _git_! You've got to stop popping out of nowhere!" Arthur shouted, taking a step away from Alfred.

"Heehee! Sorry Iggy! I didn't mean to scare you..." Alfred said, rubbing the back of his head.

Arthur sighed. "Tell me why do you keep a mirror blocking your view of your backyard? Even someone like you would realize the stupidity of doing something like that…"

"Oh! It was just a decorating idea. I thought it would brighten up the kitchen." Arthur was about to declare that that statement made no sense, but Alfred quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, Mattie's still upset, so I think it would be best if you left…"

Another pause. "Fine. I know when I'm not wanted…." Arthur mumbled, unenthusiastic.

"The front doors down the hall. I got to go check on Mattie. See ya at school tomorrow!" Alfred, once again, sped off, leaving Arthur alone.

"Thanks for the great hospitality…" Arthur muttered sarcastically. He headed down the hall to find the door. Alfred had been acting very bipolar lately. Maybe it was just because of the Cotton Drifting Festival and all the crimes that happen around it. _Of course! Who wouldn't get anxious at this time with all those murders and disappearances?_ Arthur pondered.

"_I wonder who will disappear this year…"_

Arthur gasped. He had forgotten Kiku! He hoped he was ok. _I should go visit him later today… just to make sure he's all right!_ He decided, flushing a bit.

-

"Arthur! Wait!" A sudden voice from behind called, followed by the loud echo of feet running.

"What do you want Alfred?" He yelled turning around only to find that it was Matthew (followed by Kumajiro), who was calling him. Arthur flushed with embarrassment. "Oh! Sorry Matthew! Alfred said-"

"I want you to know that I feel really awful for what happened!" Matthew interrupted. He stopped in front of Arthur to catch his breath for a second before continuing. "I wanted to make a good impression and we didn't really get to know each other as well as I wanted too last night. Alfred said that I should try not to be so shy around you, so I tried to act like him…" Matthew bowed his head, looking at the ground, Kumajiro patted his leg with his paw. Arthur was lost for words. He was surprised (maybe a little flattered too) that someone would want to make such a good impression of themselves for him.

"I was thinking that I could repay you by treating you to lunch today eh?" Matthew looked up and bashfully smiled. Arthur's face turned even redder.

"Of course! That sounds great!" He declared.

"Really!?" Matthew's face immediately brightened up.

"Yes! That sounds lovely Matthew!"

"Great! I'll meet you at the coffee shop by the public library! See you at noon!" Matthew's eyes sparkled. Kumajiro nodded in approval.

"See you then!" Arthur said as he walked out the door.

"Goodbye Arthur!" Mathew yelled, waving Kumajiro's paw at Arthur.

What they didn't notice was that a jealous someone was watching them from the second story window…  
--

Arthur always arrived early whenever he had plans with someon_e. Yes, this was a very good habit to have, even if you do arrived half an hour early!_ He would convince himself. He had learned from pervious occasions that always arriving early was both a good and a bad habit… especially if your partner was late.

Arthur sighed to himself. He was awfully bored (and lonely), sitting by himself at the coffee shop. He was one of the first customers- correction… he **was** the first customer there, seeing as the shop didn't open till noon.

He sighed again, twirling his tea with a spoon as he began rereading his newspaper for the hundredth time. Suddenly a strange man with long blonde hair sat in the seat he was saving for Matthew…

"_Excusez moi_, Arthur Kirkland?" The man said with a French accent. Arthur looked up. How did he know his name? "Would you like to take a ride in my car? It has air conditioning!"

"NO FUCKING WAY, PEDO!" Arthur screamed, if anyone was in the shop, he was sure they would have turned to look at him. The man quickly covered Arthur's mouth with his hand, hushing him.

"Don't say things like that!" He hissed. He quickly held up a police badge. "I work for the police department. I am detective Francis Bonnefoy! Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"

_Didn't really give me a choice there, did you frog?_ Arthur thought. "Fine! Make it quick." He mumbled.

Detective Francis pulled out a notepad and pen. "You went to the festival last night, correct?"

"Yes."

"Did you notice any suspicious looking people? Did any of your friends, perhaps, act suspicious?

"Wait! What do they have to do with this? What do I have to do with this? What the _bloody _hell happened?" Arthur shouted, annoyed.

Francis stopped writing. He looked Arthur in the eye and asked completely seriously "Do you really want to know?"

Arthur gulped. He suddenly felt like he was about to be let in on a big secret. Oh well, he had gotten this far, he couldn't turn back now. "Yes."

The man flipped through his notebook. "Last night a man and his younger sister were reported missing at eleven pm. They were both last seen leaving the Cotton Drifting Festival around 10:35pm. At 2:55pm police recovered the dead body of the missing man in a field about three miles away from the festival grounds. The man found was holding a bloody iron water pipe and his scarf was tightly knotted around his neck, showing that he was brutally beaten before being suffocated with his own scarf. There were no signs of a struggle and no evidence from the killer. At 3:10pm the body of the girl was found in the river. Cause of death: drowning. No signs of a struggle. No evidence."

Arthur was speechless… He was replaying all the information over and over in his head. It didn't make sense. There** had** to be evidence pointing to a killer. They had the murder weapon; surely they could find some form of DNA evidence on it.

Then a memory popped into Arthur's head:

"… _One person is murdered and another goes missing…"_

"Wait a minute," he said, "Two people were murdered, but both there bodies were… were…" He couldn't finish the sentence he was too shaken

.Francis seemed to have read Arthur's mind because he said, "Yes. That's why the whole police department is panicking. If two people were murdered, then it is probable that two will-"

"Disappear…:" Arthur finished. It could be anyone. It could be two of his friends! Kiku, Alfred, or even Matthew.... It could even be him…

"Wait, what does this have to do with me?" He asked. Was there some sort of clue that made him a suspect or possibly something worse?

The detective was silent for a while. Collecting his thoughts perhaps? Arthur tried taking a sip of his tea to calm himself down.

"We suspect that one of your classmates is the killer." Arthur choked for the second time that day.

"W-what!? That's ridiculous!" He stuttered, slumping into his chair. Detective Francis stood up, placing his notepad back into his coat pocket.

"I understand. It is a great deal to except." He pulled out a card from his pocket and placed it in Arthur's hand. "Call the number on that card if you notice any suspicious activity among your friends. Your information could save lives, even your own."

With that said, the detective left the shop. Arthur was once more alone, this time more shocked and baffled. He flipped the card over in his hand, reading the number to himself. _This couldn't be real,_ he was thinking, _This happened to other people. This town is too normal and quiet for something like this to happen._

"Hello Arthur! Sorry, I'm late. I had to help Alfred with something." Arthur didn't look up to greet Matthew.

Confused, Matthew took the chair the detective once sat in. "Umm… What are you looking at Arthur?" He asked, placing Kumajiro on the ground.

"Oh! It's nothing…" Arthur replied, placing the card into his pant pocket.

"Arthur? You look so pale. Are you feeling ill again?"

"Well…" Arthur started. He wasn't sure if he should ask. "Did you hear about the two people who were found died after the festival?"

The look on Matthew's face changed from concern to stunned. He quickly scanned the shop, seeing if anyone was nearby. The he leaned closer to Arthur. "Yes." He whispered.

"Then if two people died! That… That won't mean that two people will disappear right?" Arthur asked.

"Arthur keep your voice down." Matthew warned, still whispering. "I wanted to talk to you about that actually…" Arthur leaned in closer. Matthew sighed.

"I think it would be better for our safety if we didn't talk to anyone about what happened the night of the festival… The villagers might blame us for angering the shrine gods and bringing this curse." Matthew explained. "We should stay quiet until this whole mess blows over. That way we can protect ourselves and our friends."

"I agree…" Arthur whispered. He really had no choice. It would be for the best if he just stayed quiet for awhile.

"Ok." Matthew leaned back in his chair, relaxed. "I also think we shouldn't see each other in public for awhile, so that we don't raise suspicion."

"All right then…" Arthur approved, standing up. "I guess I'll see you later then…"

"It was great meeting you… I'm sorry that so much weird stuff has been happening…"

"No! I understand…" Arthur lied.

"Goodbye Arthur." Matthew waved, still in his seat. Arthur waved back before exiting the coffee shop. Maybe now would be a good time to visit Kiku…

--

Arthur had been to Kiku's house a few times. He knew his family somewhat well. Kiku's family was very big and they were very close, but they fought often. Kiku didn't seem to mind much, so neither did Arthur.

His family was very polite when it came to guests. Arthur remembered their happy greeting and the big meal they prepared for him.

Arthur knocked on the door, expecting to be greeting by five people. He was surprised to only be greeted by Kiku's older brother, Wang Yao. His faced seemed to brighten up as soon as he saw Arthur.

"Arthur! Have you seen Kiku today?" Yao asked, grabbing Arthur's hand and pulling him inside the house.

Arthur was surprised by the question. Wasn't Kiku sick? "Umm… No I haven't." He said, muddled.

Yao's faced instantly saddened. Guilt filled Arthur. _Did I do something wrong?_ He wondered. "Oh that's ok. Please take a seat. I have to make a phone call." Yao said, walking into another room. Arthur was extremely confused. He sat down on one of the cushions on the floor, suddenly regretting not calling before he visited

"Yao! Yao! The neighbors said that they haven't seen him!" Arthur turned around to see the Kiku's other brother, Yong Soo, was standing in the doorway.

"What!? They haven't seen him!?" Yao quickly ran back into the room, phone in his hand. Yong Soo nodded his head. Yao cursed quickly dialing a number onto the phone. Arthur felt as if he was forgotten…

"Hello? Yes I would like to report a missing person aru." Arthur felt like his heart stopped beating. "His name is Honda Kiku. We last saw him yesterday night. He was leaving for the Cotton Drifting Festival with a friend aru… I think it was Alfred Jones?"

Arthur darted out of the house.

--

Arthur ran home faster then ever before. Once he was home he ran up to his bedroom, bloting his door shut, before collapsing onto his bed. He felt sick. He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. He rolled over, pulling his sheets up over his head. He closed his eyes, hoping that this was a dream, but no matter what he did…

"_He called before you got here…"_

He couldn't hide the fact…

"… _He said that he wasn't feeling well…"_

That Kiku had disappeared…

"…_so he wasn't coming."_

And Alfred had lied to him…

Arthur cried. Yes, he didn't want to believe it, but he could no longer avoid the truth. Kiku was gone. One person disappeared… one more to go… Arthur knew the sad truth in his heart. He had to except the fact that...

Alfred was the killer… and Arthur knew he was next.

--

**Lol I'm sorry for ending it like that… I don't know why, but I feel like this chapter is really weak... Everyone figured out that it was Russia and Belarus who died right?**

**Because of all the school work I have to do, I wouldn't expect another update until next Saturday…**

**Please review they help me so much to know what to do with the story.... If you have any ideas at all don't be afraid to review!**

**-this has been a tobi production-**


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